


I'm Still Here

by andropithecus



Category: Harry Styles - Fandom, Louis Tomlinson - Fandom, One Direction
Genre: AU, Alternate Universe - Space, M/M, No Angst, Time Travel, With A Twist, becoming famous, genius!Harry, i'm so bad at tags, just adventure, larry stylinson - Freeform, pre-fame
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-12-24
Updated: 2016-12-26
Packaged: 2018-09-11 16:08:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,574
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8997679
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/andropithecus/pseuds/andropithecus
Summary: Time travel and black holes aren't even the biggest problems for brilliant and bored Harry, who abandons his study group and goes off on an adventure. Little does he know that it's an adventure that will take him to places he never dreamed of, and to people he could have only dreamt up.





	1. I Won't Listen Anyway

**Author's Note:**

> It helps to imagine a lot of the elements of Treasure Planet when reading the first few chapters, as far as asthetics go.

"Harry!" His mother yelled through the open window of their cottage-like home as he thundered past, leaving her potted flowers teetering on the windowsill in a trail of exhaust. He chuckled and pulled up on his board hard, causing his star surfer to careen into the sky at an almost ninety degree angle and his wild hair to flutter joyful and dancing behind him. He soared for a few eternal seconds before reaching the apex of his vertical ascent, and he closed his eyes as he tipped backwards and spiraled back towards the earth, grinning the entire way down even as his engines spurtered and wheezed.

"Harry!" Anne hollered again, her voice cracking, as he nearly wrecked straight into the dry, dusty ground. She knew as well as he did that he always cut his landings dangerously close, pulling up and kicking off of his board with only moments and meters to spare, yet it never ceased to give her a fright (as it would any mother, she assured herself). He chuckled as he slid his hovering board towards the door where his mother had now found herself, arms crossed, red in the face, and quasi-annoyed.

"I regret getting you that thing most days, you know."

Harry scoffed, still grinning as he picked up the board in question and lifted his dusted goggles from his eyes, "You hardly got me this, Mum. You got me the hover board, I made The Star Slinger all that she is."

If you spent half as much time on your studies as you do on your "modifications" perhaps you'd be out of school already."

"Well what fun would that be?" Harry laughed and hugged his bemused mum before thudding past her in his too big boots and into the house. As he gently tucked The Star Slinger into the closet in the hallway he gave her a mischievous grin. "Besides, what more do I really need to know? I can cook, I can create and keep up my own transportation, I have all the fixings of a proper nomad already.”

“By all the stars and heavens, Harry Styles Edwards, you and your sister will be the death of me.” Anne sighed and made her way back to the kitchen. “You run up and finish studying, do you hear? Your two weeks at the delta starts in a few days.”

“Yes mother, I'm aware.” He gave her his best pout as he reached past her to grab an apple off of their miniature tree in the middle of the dining table. “Though you know how it pains me to spend any time with Archie.”

“Archibald,” she corrected, ignoring his big green puppy eyes and continuing in her cooking, “is one of the finest masters of physics and astronomy in this quadrant.”

“Yes but mum, I don't-“

“Care about science, yes you've made it painfully obvious, Hes. I still don't rightly understand it, considering how interested you are in traveling.”

“I'm only interested in going, not on how I'm getting there.” He glumly looked at the floor as he bit into his tart fruit. “I still can't believe the Hamner placed me in the science and mathematics division.”

“Well maybe you shouldn't have done so well on the tests!” A bright voice interjected. His sister, Gemma, was bouncing down the stairs, her makeup and hair done up in such a way that could only suggest she was leaving for the evening. She, unlike her equally talented brother, had had the fortitude to manipulate her results on the Hamner, the largest placement and aptitude test for all sixteen year olds in both public and private education. She knew well enough about everything, if not more than Harry, but also knew well enough that she wasn't going to be stuck doing something she disliked just because she might be brilliant at it. “Shoulda done like me and played dumb, so they put you in transports or something.”

“Gem enough with that talk,” Anne said exasperated. “We all know you don't play dumb, and that you are exactly where you should be, in the arts.”

“Yes it's true,” she smiled and gave Harry a wink. “I have always had a flair for the dramatic. Too bad the Hamner didn't have a cooking portion, or likely you'd be on your way to being a world renown chef.”

Harry groaned knowingly as Gemma kissed her mum goodbye. She'd be out late at a runway show in The City. It was amazing that the family ever saw her at all anymore what with how busy she'd been lately, but she was very attached to Harry and would likely not move out of the house until he did as well.

“I'm off loves, do take care, and Harry, be sure not to rip open any wormholes or what have you.”

“Highly unlikely!” He called after her as she walked out the door. He sighed deeply and ran upstairs to get to work on his papers, hoping desperately that the light would still be out when he was done so that he could get another good sail in.

“Harry!” Anne called out from below. Harry stuck his head round the corner so that he could see her and she smiled softly. “For what it's worth, I think that your studies are going to take you places that you wouldn't even imagine.”

He gave her a smile back and nodded gently, “Those are the only places I'm interested in going.”

As he jetted off to his room, Anne shook her head before turning her kitchen music on at a low volume and gently humming along as she finished their dinner.


	2. The Star That Shines

Harry’s feet dangled over the edge of his board that was tethered to a gravity stop about a hundred meters away as he sat, gently drifting on the solar waves and staring out at The Delta Bend, lost in thought as stars started to fall in the distance. 

He wasn't thrilled to be headed here, most definitely. He hated having to work in such a joyless field, surrounded by people who he might call tight laced. He'd been out with his lads the night before leaving for his two weeks at the delta, and while none of them were excited to see him off, they all were able to keep in good spirits and make Harry laugh.

_"Think of it this way, pal,” his best friend, Niall, had decided that confiscating some of his father’s Sector Spirits had been a good idea, considering that it was the last night they'd get to see each other for a few weeks and since his father was back visiting family on Mars, and they'd all gotten properly plastered right quick. “You're just… you're going to be gone. But you're going to also be back!”_

_That had sent them all into a fit of giggles._

_“Aye Nialler is that right?” Liam, his other best mate, thought he could hold his liquor better than the rest of them, but he was just as sloppy as the other boys. “It's almost like he's going away for his set one’s, innit?”_

_They all burst out into laughter again. None of them were thrilled, since all of their weeks away were happening at different times. Next week, even before Harry’s return, Liam would have already shipped off to what could best be described as boot camp, since he'd placed Military in the Hamner, and he'd actually be gone for a month. When Niall had found out he was devastated, because his one week began two days before Liam's return, and the two of them were especially close. He was comforted by the fact that he'd have Harry around, but they all knew it wouldn't be the same._

_“I still can't believe you placed in science and mathematics Harry.” Liam hiccuped and brought the bottle to his lips again, preparing to finish the spirits off. “Like, by the stars and heavens I didn't think you had much up in there that weren't stardust.”_

_“Aye, yeah.” Harry replied. “If it were I’m sure I'd have gotten stuck in military.”_

_He giggled as Liam chucked the soft, empty bottle at Harry, popping him squarely on the head._

_“Aye there ya go, knocked yer brains out for ya, now there's no need to head all the way to the damn Delta Bend.”_

_“I wish lads,” Harry chuckled sadly, running a hand through his wild and unkept hair. “I truly do.”_

_“Ya think while yer there,” Niall asked dreamily as he laid back against the roof of his house, staring up into the stars, “you can investigate why back in the day they replaced the Internet with the IPNI?”_

_Liam laughed so hard he nearly choked, “Lad I don't think that's what he's off to study.”_

_“Right of course, but uh… no harm in asking right?” Niall grinned sheepishly, and Harry shook his head, happy to be enjoying their time together before everything would ultimately change._

Harry was abruptly jolted from his reminiscing by the huffing and puffing of an out of breath older gent, who wheezed at him as he puttered up on a Star Scooter. Harry rolled his eyes and turned dramatically back to see Archibald, sitting gingerly on a seat that was far too small for him. “Archie, my good fellow, late as usual?”

“Late?!” The older man wheezed and wiped at the sweat beading on his forehead. “Nonsense! I was at our designated meeting point for nearly half the hour before I realized you were probably off daydreaming. I thought we had agreed to meet at the ferry at the other end of the gravity stop, Harold.”

“Oh shucks Archie, my deepest apologies.” Harry smiled to himself before bouncing onto his board and kicking his solar sail up, quickly fanning it out and sighing as it began to gleam in the light of all the stars. He didn't know what Archie's fuss was all about, with the wheezing and the general struggling since the gravity stop they had agreed upon was relatively small and he was on a scooter. He shrugged it off and turned to give Archie one of his notoriously dazzling grins, “Shall we be off then? Wouldn't want to waste more time.”

“Well, let's just head back to the northern side so that we can wait for the ferry.”

“Archie, really?” Harry feigned surprise and gestured at the planet below them at the end of the star bend, “I can see your lab from here! Let's just make a quick leap, it will be fun!”

“Harry, you know as well as I that this scooter is not only rented but ill suited for that sort of activity.”

“What a shame…” Harry mumbled as his sail began to glow and swell. He kicked off his electric tether and looked up mischievously, “Guess you'll have to wait for the ferry.”

“Harry, don't-!”

He didn't even get to hear Archibald’s last condemnation before making a dramatic flourish and propelling himself down toward the delta lab, laughing as he spun and twirled, and he wondered how often in the next two weeks that he'd get to feel the sense of freedom and thrill that he felt as he sped down towards the imposing, restricting mass of land.

As he rushed toward the milky clouds of the delta that hung low over the planet that he was quickly hurtling toward, he pulled his goggles over his eyes and wrapped his oxygen scarf over his mouth, breathing deeply before ripping into the nebula and spilling a trail of dust behind him. 

He erupted in a flurry of pink and yellow, laughing and spinning as he shook the glittery dust from his hair and eased into a fitting descent, slowing only so that he could better see where he'd be making his grand entrance. As the ground grew closer and closer he decided that fate was typically the best decision maker, and he pulled off the little engine and utilized the gravity that he'd just picked up to speed towards the commons outside of the monstrous jewel of a laboratory, doing his best to swirl into a proper landing.

Which, as fate would have it, was absolutely not happening, and he braced himself as he rushed towards a vast amount of hedges and thoroughly annoyed students.

“Hey!”

“Watch it!”

“By the stars-“

“-and heavens!”

As he swerved through the crowds and as people screamed and yelled, Harry thought that perhaps fate had done him dirty this time. The grin that he had pulled before was long gone as he struggled to regain control of his board, but by the time the engine had sputtered to a stop, he'd already-

“Son of a-“

“Cào nǐ zǔzōng shíbā dà!” The fellow Harry had smashed into, knocking them both through a particularly handsome shrubbery, was clearly unimpressed, and he groaned as he pushed Harry off of him and of his books.

“I am so, so sorry-“ Harry winced, scrambling to his feet and helping the poor bloke pick up his papers and his satchel. “I'm usually a pretty good stick for a landing, but I… Nick?”

The man he'd nearly demolished looked up, startled, “Uh, yes?”

“Oh gosh- I'm sure you don't remember me, but-“ Harry quickly jammed a number of books under his arm and extended his free hand. “Harry Edwards, I was a few years behind you at prep, you assisted in a few of my courses.”

“Oh, yes…” Nick sighed, hesitantly shaking Harry's hand. “Hundred percent Harry. Good at everything… except maybe sticking the landing.”

Harry blushed slightly, smiling and running a hand through his long and ever wild hair, “I wouldn't take it that far.”

“No no,” Nick picked up the last of his paperwork before shouldering his bag. “If you've got it… you know. Umm… may I..?”

A frown crossed Harry's face as he looked at Nick with confusion before it dawned on him that he still held a majority of his books stashed beneath his wildly long arms. “Right! So sorry, again!”

“No problem…” Nick chuckled and slid the books into his bag. “I look forward to seeing your work… I know you're going to be a star here.”

“Thanks, but-“

“I have to get going,” Nick cut him off. “I'm supposed to be picking up Professor Archibald from the ferry and uh, well I'm running a bit late now.”

Harry winced and nervously ran his hand through his curly mop yet again, “yeah, I'm afraid he's likely running a bit late himself.”

Nick threw him an exhausted, deadpanned look. “I'm assuming it has something to do with you and your… entrance…”

“You know, you can infer what you will, but I'll have no part in it.”

A small chuckle escaped him as Nick shook his head, “I'll be seeing you, Harry.”

“Yeah.” Harry smiled and gave Nick a small wave as he walked off before realizing everyone around him was still tossing dirty looks at him, and he quickly gathered his own belongings and rushing towards the dorms so as not to public die of embarrassment.

As he jogged away from the stares and the disapproving tuts, he smiled to himself and thought about how secretly (or not so secretly) he was pretty thrilled to have already made a name for himself. What that name would entail, he supposed, would have to reveal itself in it’s own time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for putting up with my itty bitty preface that disguised itself as a first chapter! All the rest should fill themselves out. : ) I love comments! Thank you for reading x .
> 
> Also, bonus points if you catch any other pop culture/other fandom references.

**Author's Note:**

> I literally never imagined myself writing fan fiction again, lest about a band, hahaha. Please let me know what you think!


End file.
